The Hangover
by CoutureAndChampagne
Summary: "Arnav, where on earth are you? I'm freaking out!"  "Yeah listen...err" he sniffed before continuing and adjusted his aviators, "We messed up."  The Hangover meets Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon.
1. Prologue

Prologue

An unfamiliar sense of nervousness coursed through his body as he waited for the phone to be answered. They had really messed up this time. He turned around to look at the rest of them who were a few paces behind him; Aman had his head in his hands as he leaned against the motionless car's door, his pristinely pressed blue shirt now covered in grime and ripped in a few places, NK was sitting on the bonnet, cross-legged and looking down at his hands ashamedly. Then there was Khushi who was sitting in the car, her usual plait was tousled and her clothes were muddy, staring ahead into the vast desert-like area ahead unseeingly. He turned around as the embarrassment welled up inside him, averting his attention to the rocks on the floor and started kicking them around aimlessly.

"Hello?" Said the worried voice through the receiver. He cleared his throat before he began and raised his head as he spoke,

"Payal it's me, Arnav."

"Arnav, where on earth are you? I'm freaking out!"

"Yeah listen...err." he sniffed before continuing and adjusted his aviators, "We messed up."

"What are you talking about?"

"The bachelor party, the whole night, things got out of control and err...we lost Akash." he said slowly and fearfully as he breathed unevenly into the Blackberry in his sweaty palm.

"What?" she said slowly, frustration seeping into her normally level voice.

"We can't find Akash." he stated looking up into the distance, running a hand through his ebony black hair.

"What are you saying Arnav? We're getting married in five hours!"

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen." he said as he squinted against the breeze that tickled his exposed chest, through his filthy, half buttoned up shirt.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Hey, watch it pervert!"

"Its okay NK, he's just doing your inseam" Akash explained reassuringly, trying to convince his cousin that the tailor was indeed not a pervert.

"Yeah, well he's getting pretty close to my private regions" he complained as he scowled at the middle aged man that was currently stitching his trousers expertly. The wedding was only days away and all the last minute alterations had to be done in time for the big celebrations and people like NK were only just slowing it down and making Akash suspend dangerously on the brink of insanity. Pressure could bring out the craziest sides of people, even calm, cool-headed Akash Raizada.

The tailor, who was getting quite obviously uncomfortable with Nk's glare, worked his hands double time in an effort to get away from the psychopath named NK. He quickly announced that he had finished before sending a defiant stare in NK's direction and strutting out.

"Thanks Floyd!" Akash called after his retreating back.

"Come on, we should get a move on" he said in NK's general direction as he gathered up his clothing and turned towards the changing room.

"You know Akash, I've been thinking..." NK started, undoing his trousers and letting them fall in a heap at his feet as he snatched up his usual slouchy jeans. The nonchalant way in which this was executed had Akash blushing like a virgin bride as he averted his gaze away from his odd cousin's 'private regions'. "If you want to go to Vegas without me, it's cool" he said, hopping as he pulled up his jeans.

That took Akash by surprise. Wasn't he supposed to be extremely excited about this trip?

"What are you talking about?" Akash quizzed, genuinely confused now.

"It's your bachelor party and your close family and friends are going, I don't want you to feel like I'm holding you back you know?" he replied quite frankly with a sombre look etched into his normally positive features.

Oh, so that's what this is about, my maniacal cousin has finally realised how mad he is thought Akash.

"It's not like that buddy, they all like you. Your family too and we're spending a night in Vegas, no big deal, okay?" He reasoned, patting NK on the back as affectionately as he could muster.

"I want you to know Akash, I'm a steel trap" NK's demeanour suddenly became eerily serious,

"Whatever happens tonight I will never, ever speak a word of it" he uttered slowly to a slightly nervous Akash.

"Okay. Yeah, I got it. Thank you but I don't think..." but NK quickly cut him off.

"Seriously, I don't care what happens. I don't care if we kill someone."

"What?" Akash exclaimed, now getting very concerned about his cousin's mental health.

"You heard me, its sin city," he paused, moving closer and dropping a few decibels,

"I won't tell a soul."

"Okay, I got it. Thank you." Said a slightly confused Akash. The next thing he knew NK had pulled him up into a tight bear hug that startled Akash by its suddenness as he awkwardly reciprocated the embrace.

"No, Thank you" NK sighed into his shoulder.

...

He stood and gawked for a second at the beautiful Mercedes before him. That glossy chrome shine sparkled in the afternoon sun as Akash took the keys from his dad's outstretched hands. He flashed a smile at his dad, modesty overtaking him.

"Are you sure? You love this car."

"It's just a car Akash, but just don't let NK drive. There's something wrong with him." They both turned to look at NK cross legged on the concrete with a dog perched on his lap as they both licked each other's faces, proving the statement to be true.

"I will be the only one driving this car, I promise." He said solemnly yet still smiling like a fool at the keys in his palm.

"Good," His dad said, approving of the vow.

"Oh and remember what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" he stated, nodding with a knowing grin stretching at his mouth.

"Ah!" Akash said, mirroring the movement simultaneously.

"Except for Herpes. That shit'll come back with you."

...

NK anxiously fidgeted with the zipper on his leather jacket as he spoke up, "Do we have to park so close?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?" questioned Akash, studying NK through the rear- view mirror.

"I shouldn't be here." He said sheepishly, sinking into the plush interior of the convertible Mercedes.

"Why is that NK?"

"I'm not supposed to be within two-hundred feet of a school... or a Chuck E. Cheese."

A crease formed between Akash's eyebrows as he eyed the primary school up ahead but as soon as he parted his lips to speak another more polished, masculine voice invaded the air.

"It's the weekend. I do not know you, you do not exist!"

The pair turned to see Arnav Singh Raizada, Akash's cousin, Founder of AR and most sought after man 2011 of Cosmopolitan magazine striding towards them, aviators donned and a purposeful look draining out of his face to be replaced with a boyish smirk. He had just dismissed a timid man who had tried unsuccessfully to ask him a question in a casual manner as if it was the most natural thing next to breathing.

"Nice car." He commented before tossing his satchel in, not even caring as it landed in NK's lap who was now shooting daggers his way. "I'm driving!" he announced as he jumped in after his bag without even bothering to open the door.

"No chance... Don't step...," Akash tried whilst he watched his brother leap in and stand on the immaculate leather seats before perching himself next to NK. "God, watch the leath..."

"Shut up and drive before another one of these idiots asks me another question" he said, looking ahead to avoid the gaze of any eager employees.

"Animal." he heard NK complain in an undertone as he shifted his weight trying to get comfortable once more.

"Oh. Hey NK" he casually greeted as he finally acknowledged the person beside him without even going to the inconvenience of facing him.

...

Aman nodded quickly, agreeing to anything and everything Maya was ordering without a single complaint. After approximately four minutes of badgering him to use Rogaine and call her as soon as he got there no matter what the circumstances she finally changed the subject of conversation.

"I hope you're not gonna go to some strip club when you're up there." She warned as she stepped out of the kitchen with Aman hot on her heels, clutching a mug of freshly brewed coffee.

"Maya, we're going to Napa Valley, I don't think they even have strip clubs in wine country" he reasoned as his honey tinted eyes tried helplessly to twinkle innocence.

"I'm sure if there is one NK will sniff it out" she taunted, sipping tentatively from the porcelain clasped in between her hands as she parked herself on the sofa, her back towards the big, white-framed windows.

"It's not gonna be like that, beside you know how I feel about that" he argued fiddling with the hem of his polo shirt absentmindedly.

"I know, I know. It's just boys and their bachelor parties, it's gross." She said, shaking her head at the obscene events that occurred at most bachelor parties.

"You're right, it's gross" he agreed, shaking his head sympathetically.

"Not to mention it's pathetic, those places are filthy" she continued in the same disgusted tone as Aman frequently intercepted with 'Mm-hm' and 'Yeah' as she carried on with her oration.

"And the worst part is...that little girl...grinding and dry humping the fucking stage up there, that's somebody's daughter up there."

"... That's somebody's daughter up there, I was just about to say that" he said trying to suck up to earn an ounce worth of respect from her so he could leave on a good note.

"See? I just wish your friends were as mature as you." She said tenderly. Or as tenderly as possible for Maya.

"They are mature, actually. You just have to get to know them better." As soon as the words left his mouth he knew the lie was going to come back and haunt him. It did just that, and a lot faster than he had anticipated.

"Paging Dr. Faggot!" Exclaimed a voice from the other side of the window, a voice that sounded suspiciously like NK.

_Way to go NK_ he thought. He was already in Maya's bad books as it was, did he want to die a painful death?

Embarrassment bubbled in the pit of his stomach so he turned his line of vision to his chinos which were suddenly very intriguing. Maya had her lips set in a tight line as Aman metaphorically swallowed his words in shame.

"Dr. Faggot!" NK called again from the car behind them, outside.

"I better go." decided Aman as soon as he had control over his voice again.

"That's a good idea, Dr. Faggot" Maya retorted without so much as looking at him.

_Great, there goes ending on a good note! _He thought venomously as he mentally cursed his fate.

"Have a good weekend, I'm gonna miss you." He tried one last time in an attempt to scrape the remains of his dignity up in the eyes of his judgmental girlfriend. He leant in to steal a kiss when she turned away from him leaving him to peck a loud kiss on her shoulder and leap up off the settee, praying that she'd never find out about Vegas.

**AN: Do leave your much appreciated reviews and comments on IF, It really means alot to me and will definitely encourage me to write more. So if you want more please show me how much you like it. Or hate it. :)**

**JJ**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

He'd promised Di so he'd keep that promise. He had to stay jovial, let loose and be a little less ASR and more Arnav. And in his opinion the twenty two minutes he had been in this car he had managed it, he had actually never felt this alive in years. He'd even had a drink or two with NK and he discovered it felt kind of good to break the rules and not enforce them. Now he knew why crime lords did what they did: the sheer pleasure in it. His Di had managed to melt ASR slightly, albeit it was only for a suggested number of days it was a start. It was all going well until they made a 'quick stop' due to Akash's insistence.

The pulled up to Payal's house and Akash bashfully entered. Moments later he returned, but not alone. Trailing along behind him, pom- pom's and bag in tow loitered Khushi Kumari Gupta with an unusually forlorn expression on her face. Was she coming too? To a bachelor party? For bachelors? Emphasis on the word bachelor here. She paused for a minute as if considering something but a tug from Akash had her moving uncertainly towards the car. Arnav couldn't help but be curious. Didn't she want to come with them? Had she been forced into it?

"Khushiji!" NK called, waving like a maniac at her. For a second the melancholy demeanour evaporated as she excitedly waved back, a genuine smile plastered on her face.

"Nanheji!" she called back, skipping over and embracing NK over the door of the convertible car. She looked up over NK's shoulder nonchalantly and her gaze met his. The smile slowly drained out of her face as she looked into his eyes, smouldering and intense as ever. She felt herself losing herself in those honey orbs again, after vowing to herself time and time again that she wouldn't.

_NO! Khushi what are you doing?_

She pulled away from NK's embrace as he started saying something that she wasn't really listening to, she was too concentrated on making it look like she was a hundred percent focused on NK and tried not to glance at the face that was scrutinizing her closely.

NK hurriedly jumped out and held the door open for her as he ushered her in, forcing her to wedge herself between Arnav and himself. The journey felt like it lasted for a millennium because of the constant paranoia in Khushi's head. She could have sworn Arnav was squirming purposely in his seat and shifting towards her, frequently his hand would graze her knee or he'd 'accidently' lean into her when he said he was going to nap. However NK kept the atmosphere lively by almost getting them killed. When asked by Akash if his right side was clear so he could switch lanes he'd said it was. That obviously hadn't been the case. After Akash's initial freak they made another quick stop at a petrol station.

...

"So, you all good with Maya?" Arnav quizzed whilst in the queue with Aman.

"Oh, Yeah I told her we were just outside wine country and she bought it" he grinned as he shoved the Iphone into his pocket.

"Don't you think it's strange that you've been in a relationship for years and you have to lie about Vegas?" He said, mockery seeping into his smooth tone as he folded his arms across his broad chest.

"Yeah I do, but trust me, it's not worth the fight." he reasoned, sighing audibly.

"Oh, so you can't go to Vegas but she can screw a bellhop on a carnival cruise liner?" Arnav retorted sharply, suppressing laughter at the weird logic behind Aman's actions.

"Hey." Akash warned the pair while he roamed the drinks aisle. His comment was obviously ignored and the two friends bickered on.

"Okay, first of all, he was a bartender. And she was wasted. And, if you must know, he didn't even come inside her." He stated, making her sound like a complete angel and attempting to conceal her from insult.

"And you believe that?" Arnav asked, his eyebrows steadily rising.

"Uh, yeah I do, because she's grossed out by semen." He said making his legendary _DUH!_ Face.

"That's 32.50, please." the cashier intervened after scanning all the unnecessary snacks they had brought.

"It's 32.50, are you going to pay for it?" Aman asked, turning to Arnav imploringly, all remnants of the squabble evaporated.

_Typical Aman! _Thought Arnav, Make_ the rich friend pay for everything._

_..._

Akash stared ahead at the road. He knew they were almost at the helicopter base so he drove slightly faster in order to get there quicker. The others were engrossed in a silly conversation when NK pulled out his pocket guide to gambling.

"Gambling? Who said anything about gambling? It's not gambling if you know your gonna win. Counting cards is a fool proof system." He rambled whilst he studied the contents page.

"It's also illegal." Aman chirped in.

"It's not illegal, its frowned upon like masturbating on an airplane." He reasoned easily. He flicked through the book noisily as he proceeded to lick his finger and flip the pages.

"I'm pretty sure that's illegal too." Aman said with a smile playing on his face. Khushi had just sat through the entire journey with her eyes closed as she prayed silently to Devi Maiyya, willing the ungodly conversation to stop. The boyish banter had her utterly flustered and the blood began to seep into her cheeks, an action that hadn't gone unnoticed. Arnav rested his arm on the door and grinned unashamedly as he watched the stiff figure huddled next to him go red with embarrassment. He loved seeing that pink tinge to her complexion; it made her look so innocent. A mischievous glint twinkled in his aviator-laden eyes. Akash had told him that Payal had insisted she come along to watch over Akash and have some fun herself. Arnav had smirked at this comment, she could barely look after herself, how would she look after him? And as far as fun went, Khushi Kumari Gupta couldn't have fun in Vegas.

"Yeah, maybe now when everyone gets all sensitive, Thanks a lot Bin Laden." NK added in an undertone as he buried his nose in his book again.


	4. Chapter 3

Khushi's nails pierced NK's skin in ways that was sure to leave a bruise, not that he minded though. He was in the 7th heaven, he had always dreamed of holding Khushi, just grazing her skin would have been ideal but this was just the most perfect position. She squirmed slightly as she buried her head further into his neck much to Arnav's dismay.

Arnav surprised even himself by not losing the shreds of restraint he was harbouring when he saw the two practically cuddling at the back of his private jet. Fair enough she was too afraid to even sit up straight let alone think about who she was clutching onto, but wasn't she the slightest bit curious about how it irked him? Couldn't she see the intensity that always seeped to the forefront whenever they so much as looked at each other? Didn't she feel that hot surge course within her whenever they were in a 10 metre radius of each other? Yet here she was hanging onto NK as if she'd evaporate if she didn't. Their proximity scared him. They were just so close, he didn't think even he'd been that close to her. He watched her clutch onto NK's jacket as she mumbled something into the hollow of his throat; Arnav couldn't help but envision it so that the words were blocked out so it looked like she was placing slight kisses on his neck. Something stirred in the pit of his stomach. Something suspiciously like envy. How dare he touch her like that, console her like that. That was his right. He felt like walking straight over there and punching his cousin square in the jaw. Thankfully he refrained. What alibi did he have? What rights did he have? What was she to him? His brother's sister-in-law to be, _Adhi dulhan _as his Di liked to put it, but really what was their relationship? She didn't work for him anymore, she didn't tutor his ex-fiancé any longer, heck they hadn't ever had a conversation without it turning into a squabble.

He was snapped out of his reverie by the sound of Akash clearing his throat casually beside him. He looked up into the spectacle clad face to see Akash staring pointedly at Arnav's hands. Confused, Arnav followed his gaze to see his own fingers sinking into the seat, causing a little tear in the leather. He quickly loosened his grip on the chair he hadn't even realised he was mindlessly attacking. He needed to do something before the relationship between NK and Khushi blossomed out of control. He needed to make her his but that would be a very hard task seeing as they both had an equal amount of stubbornness and determination to complete the missions they had both assigned themselves. One wanted to ignore the others existence whereas the other wanted to make his existence prominent. The bulls were going to lock horns.

...

Khushi gasped in awe as she walked leisurely through the big doors into Caesar's Palace. The ornate chandeliers glistened at her from above and statues and sculptures towered over her from the middle of the extravagant lobby. The others followed swiftly behind her only stopping for a millisecond to admire the decor. They quickly made their way to the front desk while Khushi gazed at her surroundings with a mixture of exhilaration yet fear. This was a foreign country to her with a foreign language that she understood snippets of. She didn't even catch half of what Arnav was saying to the pretty brunette check-in manager in a fluent accent that sounded like he'd come out of the womb uttering English words.

"We have a reservation under Dr. Aman Mehra." Aman stated with a professional air to his voice. The woman scanned the computer screen while Arnav turned to Aman.

"Dr. Mehra? You're a dentist Aman, don't try and get fancy." He said, leaning casually on the desk.

"It's not fancy if it's true." Aman said with a grin.

"He's a dentist. Don't get too excited." Arnav told the brunette while he flashed a charming smile at her. "And if someone gets a heart attack you should still call 911." He quipped, thrusting his torso further forward as he risked a glance at Khushi beside NK. By the look on her face he knew she understood little of what they were saying but she had immediately picked up on his flirty body language. An annoyed look donned her face as she stared hard at the back of his head.

"We'll be sure to do that." She said with a small smile, acknowledging his joke.

"Do you know if the hotel's pager-friendly?" NK piped up randomly but quite seriously.

"I don't know what you mean." She answered honestly.

"I'm not getting a sig on my beeper." He said, raising his pager so she could see what he was rambling on about.

"I'm not sure."

"Do you have a payphone bank?" he asked. After receiving a perplexed look he elaborated, "bunch of payphones? Business."

"Err no but you have a phone in your room." She tried.

"That'll work." he said and slipped the pager into his pocket.

"So I have you in a two-bedroom suite on the 12th floor, is that okay?" The pretty brunette inquired looking up from the screen in front of her.

"It sounds perfect." Akash agreed but Arnav obviously opposed.

"Actually I was wondering if you have any villas." Arnav asked, resting his elbows on the desk.

"Arnav we're not even going to be in the room. No big deal. We can share beds, its one night." Aman said as he glanced from the receptionist to him.

"If we share beds, Shotgun bunking with Arnav!" NK called, raising his hand in favour. "Are you good with that Arnav?" he added when he saw Arnav's cantankerous expression.

"No, I'm not good with that. Guys, we are not sharing beds. What are we, 12 years old? Lisa, I apologize. How much is the villa?" he questioned, reading the name tag attached to her jacket.

"Well, we have one villa available, and it's 4200 for the night." She stated.

"Is it awesome?" Arnav asked with a grin slowly appearing on his face.

"It's pretty awesome." She said frankly, nodding in positive.

"We'll take it; give her your credit card." Arnav motioned to Aman.

"I can't give her my credit card" Aman said humourlessly.

"We'll split it." Akash offered taking out his wallet.

"Are you kidding? " Arnav asked incredulously. He gestured to the rest of them as he spoke, "This is on us."

"You don't get it, Maya checks my statements." Aman said and no one missed the miniscule hint of annoyance in his tone.

"We just need a credit card on file. We won't charge you until check out, so you can figure it out then." The receptionist intervened with a temporary solution.

"That's perfect. Thank you, Lisa. We'll deal with it tomorrow. Come on." Arnav thanked.

"Fine." Aman agreed, dislodging his wallet from his back pocket.

"Can I ask you another question?" NK murmured.

"Sure" she said sweetly.

"You probably get this a lot. This isn't the real Caesar's Palace is it?" he asked leaning on the counter, ankles crossed with his hand on his hip, working a slightly camp vibe.

"What do you mean?" she asked, befuddled for the second time today by NK.

"Did, uh... did Caesar live here?" he inquired pausing when he saw the others giving him amused looks.

" No." She said blandly.

"I didn't think so." He said, eyeing the intricate paintings on the ceiling with a disdainful glare.

...

Aman pushed the card key into the lock and thrust it open. The sight that met his eyes was glorious. A beautiful villa embellished with modern furniture and timeless ornaments twinkled cheekily back at him. "Holy shit." He murmured, unable to put a hold on his foul mouth.

"Now this is Vegas!" NK said, pushing past him to admire the Villa.

"Oh my... this place is enormous." Akash whispered as he dropped the bags that were suspended from his shoulders. Khushi gingerly stepped in and audibly gasped when she beheld the huge room.

"Hai Devi Maiyya!" she said, clamping a hand over her mouth in shock. She had never seen a room so big and different from home yet so grand.

"Now we're talking, is this all one suite?" Arnav asked as he made his way deeper through the room, turning into bedrooms to have a gander.

"Thanks guys, or should I say thank you Aman?" Akash smirked as he gazed at the plasma perched on the wall, looming over them.

"Your welcome, it's only because I love you." Aman smiled fondly.

"Okay Ladies, pick a room, get dressed. Let's be ready in thirty." Arnav said, clapping his hands in anticipation. He left the other four gaping at their rooms as he retreated into his own and began the grooming.

...

Khushi's squeal startled NK as he came sprinting into the room, out of breath, grabbing at a stitch in his side, holding up a toilet plunger in defence. "Khushiji, what happened?" NK panted unsteadily, propping himself up against the door frame for support.

"My clothes!" she shrieked, waving some unfamiliar garments in the air. "They aren't in here, there's all this..." she said, tentatively plucking the clothes out of her suitcase and holding them at arm's length as if afraid they would bite. NK walked over to talk a closer look after his breathing was more composed when he saw what she meant.

"Whoa, Khushiji since when do you own McQueen?" He said admiringly as he examined a dress skewed on the marble floor.

"I don't own it, if they aren't my clothes then where are mine?" she said now chewing her nails down to stubs. The fear started to creep up as the shock phase slowly evaporated. Would she have to actually wear this if her clothes were missing? More importantly where were her clothes? What if someone else had them? What if she never saw them again? She suddenly envisioned Lisa, the receptionist in her own usual attire, pom-poms swinging from her clothes and nestled in her loose, brown braid. She almost screeched but her voice was refusing to co-operate.

"Khushiji, stop attacking your nails, I think you must have mixed bags with someone. " NK assured as he moved her fingers from her mouth and held them in his own. "We'll go down to the front desk and see if anyone has found them."

"Thanks, Nanheji." She sighed as she gave his hand a fond squeeze. "Why do have a toilet plunger?"

"I thought you were being attacked or something!" he said, giving the plunger a wave.

"What were you gonna do Nanheji? Plunge them to death?"

Laughter reverberated off the walls as their joyous voices mingled in the air and their present distress was forgotten momentarily.


	5. Chapter 4

Her heart was pumping at about a thousand miles an hour and she felt suffocated. They weren't there. Her clothes weren't at front desk and NK was positive that no one had even tampered with her bag. That must mean that she had brought all those clothes with her from India, but how? She distinctly remembered packing her bags and she was quite sure no one had even meddled with them. They had stayed in the solace of her room since Payal had persuaded her to tag along to Vegas in the early hours of the morning.

She plopped herself un-demurely on the velvety bed and sighed in frustration. She desperately needed a shower after the sinful ride in, her limbs ached to make contact with the blissful water but she had nothing to wear afterwards.

A positively horrific thought crossed her mind. She risked a glance behind her to the open trunk of designer wear. Maybe she could just put one of the pieces on while she found something else to wear? She'd only be in it for a few minutes and she'd make sure a minimal amount of people saw her. She found herself reasoning the whole thing out in her head and it happened to make an inkling of sense.

She ran the plan over in her head once more, then, not being able to stand her own bodily odour for another fraction of a second she grabbed a towel and the first thing her hand found in the suitcase. She whizzed into the bathroom and latched the door firmly shut.

She blinked hard at her own reflection. Fifteen whole minutes later she was stood, staring at the form reflected back from the luxurious Rococo mirror perched on the wall. It wasn't all that bad she had to admit. The Meghan Fabulous maxi dress flowed down her curves most beautifully creating an elegant empire silhouette. Below the bust line the fabric gathered and dropped in a long, loose skirt in a rich, patriarch purple hue. It was covered in a pretty floral print under the cinched waist whilst the halter neck oozed colour and the mere essence of summer. Her hair hung in tangled, wet cascades over one shoulder, silently dripping droplets of water onto the polished wood floor. She actually kinda liked it. For one it wasn't revealing as much as she had initially feared, only the neckline was plunging and her upper arms were bare but for the most part she was modestly covered.

"What's all this about your... clothes..." Arnav stopped short, the words dying on his tongue. He had flung the door open expecting to see a pom-pom and plait clad Khushi but instead he laid eyes on an exotic beauty, her arms held up in front of her in defence or maybe concealment. Wait, hold up. Beauty? Had he just thought of her as a beauty? After mentally berating himself he decided to try to form some coherent speech. "NK told me your clothes went missing, is that true?"

"Of course it's true! Do these look like my clothes?" she said, dropping her arms to jab a finger at the suitcase lying open on the bed. He threw her an annoyed glance to which she cowered from to his delight and quickly walked over to where the baggage had been placed. He inspected the garments as he set himself down on the plush covers, shocked and impressed looks donning his features for split seconds then making swift exits. He occasionally muttered things to himself that Khushi only managed to home in to snippets of.

"Dolce & Gabbanna ... Pre-fall... Egyptian cotton...velvet lining... in this season... Chanel... our competition."

He finally stood up and, to her incredulity, started circling her in slow, measured steps. It was making her quite nervous, the way his gaze was running up and down her form. She realized he wasn't looking at her but her dress, yet there was still a worry that he might be criticizing her body and with such a deep-cut neck she wasn't very comfortable with him being so close. His fragrance hugged her senses and it really was quite heady, it was all she could do to stop herself from passing out. Did he have to be so close? Those feelings in her stomach were starting up again and her heart was running a marathon. She prayed that he couldn't hear it; it would make their relationship all the more awkward. She decided to steer herself away from her thudding pulse as she found something else to study. Him. He had changed she noticed as she took in the black suit and monochrome grey shirt. Not a massive change from his usual wear but a subtle one. There was also something different about his tie, it was skinnier maybe, or the knot was bigger. Did he even wear a tie to work normally? His voice broke her out of her aimless thoughts.

"Meghan fabulous, size six, encrusted embellishments, by hand on the bust and waistline, halter neckline, two- make that three layers of skirt." He recited, feeling the skirts quickly.

She just ogled at him, obviously not understanding much but enough to know that he'd gone into business mode. He raised an eyebrow and sighed at her little knowledge of his industry. He shook his head at her sympathetically yet knowingly. Of course she didn't know anything about his business, would she dress in her usual attire if she did?

"Where did you get that? Why are you even wearing it?" he asked, and it seemed to come out a lot harsher than intended. He became harsh whenever she was around and he couldn't really figure out why, she just knew all the right ways to tick him off usually.

"I had no choice really did I? Was I going to shower and wear nothing? I'll return it to whoever it belongs to when, and only when I get my clothes back." She said triumphantly, hands landing on her hips as she blew moist tendrils of hair out of her face.

"And how exactly do I get them back?" he asked, irked now.

"I don't know, you're the mighty ASR you'll think of something." She replied easily. Before he could speak a wolf whistle had them both spinning to face the door.

"Khushiji, give us a twirl!" NK smiled. She shot a blazing warning look at Arnav as if mentally telling him to do something about her clothes and then smiled sweetly at NK. She twirled happily for him, watching Arnav's ears set alight as she purposely fell into NK's form.

"Sorry Nanheji." She apologized from under thick lashes, getting the desired effect when Arnav shuffled forward but then retreated, thinking against his actions.

"Whatever." Arnav said annoyed and stalked out.

"Look at the view!" Akash admired as they stood on the rooftop of Caesar's Palace to NK's insistence. The roof was usually out of bounds but they had managed to sneak up the ladder without being caught, a really lucky fluke. They all stared at the Vegas skyline with all its twinkling lights and neon signs, all stood in a casual line. The wind billowed through their hair and they were bathed in an unreal glow from the crescent moon that twinkled in the sky. It was really quite beautiful; anyone observing them would have thought they were posing for an album cover or something of the sort. The entrancement didn't last long as NK brought out a bottle of _Jägermeister. A wave of appreciative noises rustled up among the lads as Khushi stood awkwardly near Aman as the brisk evening air stung her arms. She rubbed them in an attempt to warm up but it seemed to be failing. She watched the boys accept the shot glasses; even Arnav took one without a quarrel. _

_She observed each person's expression trying to work out their thoughts. It was an exercise she would practice often, in the park, in the mall, at the funfair. People-watching amused her because she could guess at people's lives, downplay sorrows they might have and highlight exciting things that she liked to believe they experienced. NK looked exultant as he looked up at Arnav's form in admiration. Akash was smiling inwardly as he fondly stroked the glass in his hand. Aman looked more interested in the skyline as he studied the assorted buildings below them. Arnav was throwing the shot glass between his palms offhandedly. There was nothing alarming about his demeanour except one thing. He was staring straight at her. She felt familiar tingles shoot up her spine and it wasn't because of the cold. She quickly averted her gaze and suddenly the concrete was immensely intriguing. _

"Here you go Khushi." NK said as he thrust an identical shot glass into her hand.

"No, I don't drink." She objected but he gave her that sad puppy dog look that had her melting in seconds.

"Just this once? Please? For Akash."

"Well...Fine." she said submissively taking the glass. Arnav poured everyone a shot as Aman lifted his.

"To Akash and Payal, may tonight be but a minor speed bump in an otherwise very long and healthy marriage."

A chorus of "cheers" rang in the air as the troop downed their drinks.

Khushi pulled a face as the vile liquid trickled down her throat. The taste was so overbearing that she had to cough a little.

"Oh, it's like college." Aman moaned as he screwed up his face in disgust.

"Bleugh." Akash shuddered.

"Alright, I want to talk about something." Arnav said as he hushed them all up. "I want to-"

But he was cut off.

"I'd like to... I'd like to say something...I prepared...tonight." NK interrupted, slightly foggy in his movements. He pulled out a crumpled scrap of paper from his pocket and began reading from it.

"Hello. How about that ride in? I guess that's why they call it Sin City." He paused to laugh awkwardly from a cue on his pre-written sheet.

"You guys might not know this, but I consider myself a bit of a loner. I tend to think of myself as a one-man wolf pack. But when I first met Akash at a family gathering, I knew he was one of my own. And my wolf pack, it grew by one. So were there two... So there were two of us in the wolf pack. I was alone first in the pack, and then Akash joined in later. And 14 months ago when Mami introduced me to you guys, I thought: 'Wait a second. Could it be?' And now, I know for sure. I just added three more guys to my wolf pack, five of us wolves running around the desert together in Las Vegas, Iooking for strippers and cocaine. So tonight...I make a toast." He stopped and something glinted in his hand under the moonlight.

"What you got there?" Akash asked quizzically. The mirror like object sparkled as he raised it to his other palm to swiftly slice open his hand. The knife dripped a few drops of his blood as uproar of yells was raised among the group and Khushi squealed.

"Dude what the-?" Arnav said, still flabbergasted at NK's drastic action. NK just let out a moan in response as he held his cut to his lips.

"What was that!" Aman questioned, as shell-shocked as everyone else.

"Blood brothers." NK said in between sucking his shallow wound.

"I am not doing that! Make him stop." Aman said, while in the process of gnawing at his knuckles. Khushi felt like she'd pass out. Her knees were going to give way, she knew it. She hated the sight of blood.

"No, No one is doing that NK, just cool down. Hand me the knife. You okay?" Akash said, taking the knife and discarding it.

"Mmh-hmm" NK said, treating his shallow wound with saliva and Jägermeister breath.

"Do you need a doctor?" Akash asked.

"No." NK said meekly.

"Perfect, get in here NK, crazy." Akash said as he flung his arm around him and reeled him in, the atmosphhere returning to it's cosy state. Aman held his topped up glass in the air as everyone imitated with their freshly refilled shots.

"All right then, to a night the five of us will never forget."

**A/N: Hey guys! Hold fire with your louboutins for a second before they all hit my face. So yeah... here I am. Months later. I decided to make this slightly longer to compensate but I don't know if you'll accept that as my form of apology? but have a read anyway and thanks for all the support darlings, it means alot. Oooh and I have exams so don't expect any updates for a few weeks... (*makes hasty exit as heels are aimed at my retreating back*) There's a link of the dress I envision Khushi wearing on the I-F page but you you can visualise it yourself if you like.**


	6. Chapter 5

Khushi's eyes flickered open but the streaming sunlight momentarily blinded her so she whined pathetically and blocked out the sun with her arm. She squinted slightly at the room as she tried again, a dull pain emerging in her temples and stared at the sight she saw. The room was a wreck. There was food strewn all over the floor, curtains torn, the Jacuzzi was frothing with blow up dolls sticking out of it. Statues and busts were cracked and fancy dress costumes seemed to be hanging off the broken stone limbs. A bra had been carelessly thrown and was now hanging off the plasma. There was a light sprinkling of streamers and confetti dusted over the furnishings and the smell of stale sweat was hanging thickly in the air.

She tried to lift her head to get a closer look at the room but the sudden movement made her head spin so she just laid there, eyes closed. She heard the patter of footsteps somewhere in the room but she didn't have the energy to look up. She was sure she heard a lone chicken clucking somewhere too. It was joined by the clang of an avalanche of items falling or rather someone falling on them, causing searing pain to pierce her cranium. She tried to lift a hand to her forehead but she felt a strange sensation. She appeared to be holding on to something, something that strangely resembled hair. It wasn't her own hair; it was much coarser and stiff. Her gaze trailed down her arm when she realised with a jolt what it was. This realisation suddenly made her very aware of her current position. She tentatively shifted her leg only to notice it was stuck in an iron grip. That's when she sensed the heat of another human body. She knew it was Arnav. His head was buried in her neck and her limp fingers were entangled in his hair. Their bodies were entwined and she could feel his arm locked around her waist. She felt around under the blanket clumsily just to make sure her entire body was intact and she slightly brushed Arnav's shirtless torso. She froze. This was making her worry rise increasingly, was he fully dressed under there? She slowly inched her hand lower down his carved back and to her satisfaction felt a modest amount of his boxers and a jean-clad leg. At least he was wearing something otherwise she was sure she'd pass out. She couldn't remember a single thing that had happened last night; it was just a black gap in her memory. Before she could make an attempt to wake him up she heard NK's scream as he toppled over her figure on the floor making her form ache and causing her to land on top of Arnav.

"What the fuck?" Arnav yelled groggily as his hand went to Khushi's back to support her instinctively. He gently lifted her off him and stood up drowsily, not really comprehending the situation yet. His Hugo Boss boxers were peeking through under his low-riding jeans as he reprimanded NK. "Goddamn, put on some trousers NK. Control yourself."

"Arnav, do not go into the bathroom, there is a tiger in the bathroom." NK said holding his shirt over his 'private regions'. Apart from the shirt he was totally in the buff.

"NK, just calm down it's me." Arnav reassured.

"There is a jungle cat in the bathroom!"

"Okay, okay NK. NK I'll check it out." He said as he sluggishly made his way over to the bathroom with NK mumbling behind him.

"Don't go in, be careful, don't."

He thrust the door open and laughed "Oh! Holy fuck! He's not kidding there's a tiger in there."

"No there isn't." Aman said, in denial. He was sitting on the couch next to a singed chair with the leather scratched off, a hazy look on his face.

"A tiger?" Khushi asked, frightened at everyone else's dismissal to the gigantic cat in the next room. She stood up slowly and felt a draught. Everyone turned to regard her but they all stopped stock still upon seeing her.

"What the...?"

She was wearing a shirt that was many sizes too big for, in fact it looked like a men's shirt. It was unbuttoned to the chest and revealed a bit of cleavage in addition to the suspenders and stockings adorning her legs. She looked utterly confused at the three men and the surprised looks etched in their features.

She glanced down at her body and squealed. She realised she was completely naked under the shirt so she quickly buttoned up the shirt to the top and held the hem low as she tugged the blanket off the floor that her and Arnav had just shared and wrapped it around her waist hurriedly.

"Is that my shirt?" Arnav asked anxiously.

She studied it and nodded at him and was quite shocked to see him smirk. Her face went red with embarrassment and she scurried into her room and slammed the door shut. Arnav watched her retreating back as he slumped down onto the couch next to Aman.

"Whoa, Arnav what happened to your neck? And your back?" Aman enquired.

"Huh?" he replied as he took up a shard of glass from the floor to examine his throat. There were purple-y blue blotches and teeth marks across his neck and shoulder and what looked like scratch marks scraped on his back.

"Jesus Christ! What happened to me last night? Forget me, are you okay buddy?"

"No, I am in so much pain right now." Aman replied.

"Goddamn. Look at this place." He said scanning the villa.

"I know. Oh god they have my credit card downstairs Arnav. I'm screwed." Aman said as he let his head drop into his hands.

"How does a tiger get in the bathroom? It almost killed me." NK rambled on.

"Hey bro? You mind putting on some trousers. I find it a little weird I have to ask twice."

"Trousers at a time like this, I don't have any tr..." he trailed off in search of something to cover up his southern hemisphere.

"What the fuck happened last night?" Arnav asked.

"Hey Arnav, am I missing a tooth?" Aman asked as he opened his mouth for Arnav to inspect.

"I can't... Oh, shit."

Aman picked up a silver platter from the coffee table and gasped. "My lateral incisor, it's gone."

"It's okay just calm down. We're fine, everything's fine. Let's just get some coffee and get the fuck out of Nevada...before housekeeping shows. NK, go wake Akash up." He called to the room. NK trudged off in search of Akash.

"What am I going to tell Maya? I lost a tooth and I have no idea how it happened." Aman said as he started to panic.

"I have a massive headache and my back is burning okay? Let's just calm down." Arnav suggested.

"How am I supposed to calm down? Look around you." Aman retorted.

NK returned from his detour and said rather worryingly, "He's not there guys."

Arnav looked up in concern, "Did you check all the rooms?"

"Yeah I checked everywhere, plus his mattress is gone."

"He probably went to the pool to get something to eat, I'll call his cell" Arnav reasoned, his features softening somewhat.

"I look like a nerdy hillbilly." Aman complained as he stared at his teeth in the platter tray.

Akash's cell phone rang somewhere nearby. NK picked it up and answered.

"Hello?"

"NK." Arnav said, irked, from across the room.

"Hey."

"It's Arnav."

"Oh, hey Arnav." NK paused and took a look at the phone in his palm.

"This is Akash's phone."

"Yeah, no shit." Arnav replied sarcastically.

Before the conversation could escalate they heard a shout from Khushi's room.

"ARNAV!"

* * *

><p>He stared at the identical bruises on Khushi's slight neck and scattered across her stomach. She had donned some trousers from the suitcase they had found (all the clothes just happened to be exactly her size) and was still wearing his shirt. She had lifted the hem up to reveal her love bitten torso and pushed the collar aside to show him the bruises, much lighter than his, on her throat.<p>

"Holy fuck." He managed. If last night had happened the way he envisioned he was sure Di, scratch that, his entire family was going to kill him. Crap.

"Language Arnavji." She warned.

"Sorry." He mumbled.

Judging from her hickeys, his burning back and the state of her room the night was probably filled with body shots, neon lights, lust and drunk screwing around. Overturned bottles of booze lay dripping on the marble floor, half a dozen snapped condoms were scattered everywhere and her French panties were hanging off the edge of a chair.

"Arnav, there are at least six used condoms I can see in here, all of them snapped. We must have made love like ten times." She said exasperated, throwing her hands up. All traces of bashfulness were gone and she was being totally frank now. What was the point? Blushing wasn't going to change the truth.

"Wait, did you just say make love? I thought you didn't remember any of it, how would you know it was gentle?" he asked slowly.

"I don't remember, I'd just like to think my first time was at least not meaningless with the guy I think I-" she halted mid-sentence.

"You think you what?" he asked nervously.

"What the fuck was that?" bellowed Aman's voice from the other room. They both ran back into the lounge area as Arnav grabbed a shirt that was dangling from his door knob.

"What's going on?" he quizzed.

A sound rang out answering his question for him. It sounded like a crying baby. Khushi followed the sound intently, travelling to the other side of the room until she got to a closet. She pulled open the door to reveal a baby boy that was bundled in blankets wearing a blue bodysuit, a white hat and was lying in a baby car seat. It immediately stopped wailing when it saw Khushi so she smiled adoringly at it and picked it up. He had bright, blue eyes and pale skin.

"Whose baby is that?" Arnav asked.

"NK are you sure you saw no one else in the room?" Aman asked slowly.

"Yeah, I checked all the rooms, no one's here," He replied as he stared at the little boy Khushi was cradling.

"Check its collar or something." NK suggested.

"Nanheji, babies don't have collars." Khushi said blandly. She tried to pacify the young infant who had started screaming by rocking it gently and cooing at it. To her surprise it worked. She carried it into the living area and as she walked past Arnav she was sure to brush his shoulder and whisper dangerously, "You better hope for your sake we don't have one of these in nine months."

Everyone circled her to stare at the baby. Finally Arnav had enough,

"Aman, we don't have time for this. Let's go hook up with Akash and deal with the baby later."

"Arnav! We can't just leave a baby in the room, there's a fucking tiger in the bathroom." Aman said, stating the obvious.

"It's not our baby." He answered.

"Arnav stop being so selfish, it's only a baby." Khushi said, pleading with her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm with Aman on this one." NK said approvingly.

Arnav took a deep breath slowly and ran a hand down his face.

"Fine. We'll take it with us, and NK put on some proper trousers." He said, pointing at NK's towel wrapped waist.

* * *

><p>"Why can't we remember a goddamn thing from last night?" Aman sighed as the elevator pinged again.<p>

"Because we obviously had a great fucking time, why don't you just stop worrying for one minute? Be proud of yourself." Arnav stated looking ahead as the doors of the lift slid open and an elderly women walked in. They all just stared at him. He was acting really ... laid-back? Maybe the Vegas air was good for him.

The baby had been strapped to NK in a baby carrier to his insistence and to everyone else's refusal. Somehow in the end they agreed to let him hold the child for a little while, what harm could he possibly do? So now they all stood in a gold interior lift, Arnav had a fresh shirt on and some clean trousers he had salvaged, Khushi was wearing an outfit that Arnav had found in the suitcase and had insisted upon as he claimed he knew fashion better than anyone and she really needed some help. This, needless to say, stirred up a small argument which still resulted in Khushi going with Arnav's choice. She was wearing what Arnav had explained was sheer printed palazzo pants and a cream sleeveless blouse tucked into them and also black gladiator sandals. She still however refused to style her hair any other way than her usual plait to the side. Aman and NK had also changed into suitable attire that they had found among the wreckage in their rooms and NK had managed to salvage his sunglasses.

"Aw, how cute. What's his name?" the wispy haired woman asked. They all looked at each other in panic before Arnav replied, "Ben,"

"Carlos," NK interjected quickly, letting the baby play with his fingers. The woman looked confused as she eyed the band of strange people. At a perfectly good time the elevator doors opened and the woman stepped out.

"Carlos?" Arnav rounded on NK, as the elevator doors slid shut again.

**AN: It's me! And i didn't take months to update this time! WOW! IKR. I bet you're like give this girl a medal. Sooo Chapter 5 is here and please do tell me what you think, it's really encouraging to hear your thoughts.**


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